Half to donald hendeeson



(No Model.)

J. E. BIRCH.

AUTOMATIC GUT-OFF FOR GAS BURNERS. No. 326,832.

Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

6 jl/jFNTOR ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Nola-Lithographer. Washmgtnm nv c.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE" JOHN E. BIRCH, OF YVINNIPEG, MANlTOBA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO DONALD HENDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF FOR GAS-BURNERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,832, dated September 22, 1885.

Applicatiwn filed February 24, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN EDWARD BIRCH, a subject of the Crown of Great Britain, residing at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Out-Offs for Gas-Burners, of which the following is a description.

Figure 1 is a vertical central section showing the parts in the position which they assume just as the illuminatingjet is about to be ignited. Fig. 2is a sectional view showing the opening of the valve k by the excessive rise of cylinder 71.

The object of my invention is to provide a gas-burner which will automatically cut off its flow of gas whenever the flame from any cause becomes extinguished. Sometimes when water or air gets into the gas-pipes the flame will become extinguished, and the gas will continue to flow into the room and involve the risk of poisoning the sleeping occupants; or in some hotels,where the gas is out off at the meter at night and turned on again in the morning, gas which has been left burning in an apartment will commence to flow through the open cocks and involve serious consequences to persons who may have fallen asleep with thegas turned on. Ignorantpersons, too, frequently incur the same risk .by blowing out the gas and retiring.

My invention is designed to obviate the dangerous consequences of such contingencies by means of a gas-burner which is self-closing when the flame is extinguished, and for which purpose I make use of the expansibility of a confined body of air,which, when expanded by the normal heat of the burner, holds open a valve that permits the flow of gas to continue, and which body of air when cooled by the extinguishment of the flame contracts and closes the valve, thus cutting off the flow by a positive and certain action. My invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts operating on this principle, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, a represents the outer case of the burner, which may be of any approved shape, and which at its lower end is screwthreaded, as at b, to permit it to be screwed in the usual way to the threaded nipple of the gas-bracket. The upper end of this case is (No model.)

enlarged at c, and screw-threadedinteriorlyto fit an external screwthread ofa cap, a, which it that communicate below with the annular gas-space between the outer case and the aircell, and with the gas-space beneath cap 0 above,which holes form conduits or passages through which the gas reaches the top of the burner. Within the air-cell f a closely-fitted cylinder, h, is arranged,which is olosedat its upper end, and is provided with a flange that overhangs the perforated flange of the air-cell, and forms a gas -valve, as hereinafter described. The lower portion of this cylinder is immersed in a mercury-seal contained in the cell f, and thus imprisons a body of air in said cylinder.

The normal operation of this burner is as follows: The air within the cylinder h is expanded by the heat of the burner, and raising cylinder [1, lifts its flange off the holes oin the flange of the air-cell, and allows gas to pass from the annular space around said air-cellup to the tip of the burner, which condition of things is maintained as long as theflame of the burner continues. As soon, however, as the flame is extinguished the air within the cylinder h cools, and in contracting allows the cylinder to drop down into the mercury, and brings the flange of the said cylinder tightly down upon the holes o,which admit gas to the top, thus automatically cutting off the supply of gas. To avoid the necessity of using so much mercury, a tube or post, 9, is placed in the center of the air-cells, and acts as a displacing body to maintain the height of the mercury and reduce its bulk.

To open the cylinder-valve and allow the gas to issue in first lighting, a supplemental jet is provided by a nipple, n, in which playsashort stein having a Valve, 1', on the inside, and a push-button, s, 011 the outside, provided with suitable packingwashers, and around this stem a spiral spring is coiled. By pushing ICO button .9 in, as shown, by the finger, valve ris opened, and a jet of gas is allowed to issue, which being ignited heats the air in cylinder h, and this body of air in expanding lifts the flange-valve at the top of the cylinder, which allows the gas to issue throughthe tip d,which gas is immediatelyignited from the lower supplemental jet. After this the pressure on button s is discontinued, and the air in cylinder h is kept expanded by the heat of the gas-jet at d. If the heat of the burner is so great as to produce an undue expansion of the air and excessive elevation of the cylinder h, a valve, h, is made to open in the top of the cylinder automatically and allow some of the air to escape. This is effected as follows: A screwthreaded adj usting-bar, m, on the stem of valve h strikes the cap 0 as cylinder h rises too high (see Fig. 2) and forces the valve down against the tension of bow-spring Z, thus opening the valve and allowing it to be closed again when the excessive expansion has been relieved To regulate or vary the flow of gas through holes 0 in flange i, a ring, j, with corresponding holes, is placed beneath the flange, andis turned at will to cut off more or less of the gas passing through.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. An automatic cut'off burner consisting of an outer gas-chamber provided with atip, an expansible air-chamber located therein, and formed of two parts sealed with mercury, one of said parts being provided withaflange, and the other with a set of holes to constitute with said flange a valve which is opened and closed by the expansion and contraction of the air within the air-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic cutoff burner, the combination,with a gas-burner, of a valve provided with an expansible air-chamber, andasupplemental jet in close proximity to the burner and air-chamber,whereby thelighting of said supplemental jet will produce the initial expansion of air and start a flow of gas through the burner and ignite the illuminating-jet, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic cut-off burner, the combination,witha gas-burner, of a gas-valve connected to the movable part of an expansible air-chamber, an escape-valve located in the movable part of the expansible air-chamber, and having an operating-arm extending to a point near the gas-burner, whereby it will be operated by an undue expansion of the air in said chamber by contact with the burner, as set forth.

4. The combination of the outer case, a, the flanged and suspended air-cell f, containing mercury in its bottom, and having gas-holes 0 in its flange, and the rising and falling cylinder h, having 'a close top and flange-valve overhanging the gas-holes 0, and having its lower end sealed in the mercury, as shown and described.

5. The combination of case a, havingan enlarged screw-threaded upper section, 6, the

screw-threaded cap 0, with tip-socket, and tip (I, the flanged air-cell f, having perforated sustaining-flange t, the rising and falling aircylinder h, having flange-valve at the top, and the mercuryseal at the bottom, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination,with the inclosing-shell a c, and the aircellf, of the rising and falling air-cylinder h, having a gas-valve attached thereto, and the valve h, and valve-stem provided with spring Z, and nut or holding-bar m, as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination,with case a, having an enlarged shoulder'section, e, of the air-cell f, having flange i,withgas-holes 0, and the regulator or adjnsting-ringj, having similar holes laid between the flange of the air-cell and the shoulder of the case, and made axially adjustable to increase or diminish the flow of gas at will, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the gas-burner having a pneumatic cutoff, of the nipple n, the stem having valve 7' at one end and pushbutton s at the other, and the coil-spring surrounding said stem, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN E. BIRCH. Witnesses:

Enw. W. BYRN, (has. A. PETTIT. 

